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Palm trees tend to stand out in Calgary.

So when Ryan Scott and Grant Chichacki wanted people to notice their restaurant — La Vida Loca — they planted two palms in front of its new patio at 1129 — 17 Avenue S.W. (587-349-1400). Sure, they’re artificial but the gently waving fronds wave seductively as cars and pedestrians pass by, attracting attention. And at night they’re lit with twinkle lights, adding to the ambience.

La Vida Loca opened last fall but the patio didn’t arrive until just before this year’s Stampede. Now, on any given sunny day, its fifty seats are packed with fans of Corona, shrimp ceviche and enchiladas topped with mole verde.

Partners Scott and Chichacki, seeing the number of Calgarians who head south during winter, felt there was room for a good Mexican restaurant on 17th Avenue. So they picked up the space between 80th & Ivy and Soby’s Eatery that had previously been a wings shack and did a full makeover of it.

One key element in the partners’ planning was bringing in a serious Mexican chef. So they hired chef Armando Ortiz from Mexico City to handle the kitchen. Ortiz has developed a tasty list of fish tacos, crab empanadas, beef fajitas, chorizo quesadillas and churros.

Meanwhile partners Scott and Chichacki, both longtime veterans of the local restaurant scene, split their time between La Vida Loca and their other operation, Fiddler’s Courtyard. The British-themed pub — it’s home to the Liverpool FC North Supporters Club — at 723 Edmonton Trail N.E. (403-250-5079) couldn’t be farther in style from La Vida Loca. With its bangers and mash and shepherd’s pie, it’s a far cry from Loca’s baked mussels in a chipotle sauce. But you can’t accuse Scott and Chichacki of being stuck in a rut. And the palm trees are a nice touch.

There are other changes along 17th Avenue. The Coup (924 — 17 Avenue S.W., 403-541-1041) closed for renovations a few months ago and then reopened with a new look and a new operating partner. Tabitha Archer, who founded The Coup along with Dalia Chen in 2004, has decamped to Revelstoke where she is working in the food industry and honing her snowboarding skills.

Replacing Archer as Cohen’s partner is Ian Armitage who made a huge leap from helping manage the meaty Chop to joining the vegetarian The Coup.

Cohen and Armitage knocked down the wall that separated The Coup from its loungey neighbour Meet, expanding two smallish spaces into one large one. A large bar — made from recycled materials — sits in the middle of the 74-seat restaurant and a south facing wall is covered in herbs used by the kitchen. True to their ultra-green personality, The Coup also repurposed wood and other elements of the former Meet, incorporating them into the new design.

The Coup is now open daily, its hours have been extended and it also offers a takeout service. To help deal with the expansion, Cohen and Armitage hired twenty-six new staff, bumping their workforce up to forty. That’s a far cry from the early days when Cohen and Archer had only three helpers.

Further east on 17th Avenue, Sal’s has been transformed into Galla Winehouse & Bistro (529 — 17 Avenue S.W., 403-802-3988). The 110-seat dining room has been redone in brown and white with a new floor, white walls and all-new tables and chairs. Two former bay windows have been transformed into sought-after private booths overlooking Galla’s patio and 17th Avenue.

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The menu is a unique hybrid of Italian and Ukrainian with lobster penne and a fig-and-blue cheese flatbread cozied up with potato and cheese perogies and beef-filled cabbage rolls. Ten different bruschettas are offered including one with confit chicken, mandarin oranges and mango chutney and another with poached tomatoes, hummus and fried salami.

A fair deal of attention has been paid to Galla’s wine list with an international collection available by the glass — including sparkling wines — or the bottle. One note: Galla does not take reservations.

John Gilchrist’s restaurant guide to Calgary, Canmore and beyond is available in bookstores and specialty food shops. He can be reached at escurial@telus.net or 403-235-7532 or follow him on Twitter at@GilchristJohn

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